Bloody Roar II: Atone
by Tiger5913
Summary: A fic that kind of explains why Kenji didn't kill Busuzima when he had the chance to. Takes place during and after Bloody Roar II.


11/30/01

Disclaimer: the characters in this fic such as Uriko, Kenji, etc. belong to Hudson Soft; I don't own them, although I sure as hell wish I did! The song "Atone" belongs to me because I composed it. If anyone wants to use it, feel free - just ask!

Dedication: God, my parents, my 'brothers', Hudson for creating Bloody Roar I-IV and giving me a really good reason to write this story, and my readers, especially Nonamura-chan (it's Nonomura, dear! ^^0) LazzyQ, Alica Tylon, Deoku, Psycho Guyver, StarryPeach, AKA, Arashi, Felicia, The Raptor Chic, Alexandra Riot, Expert Predator, ghost, Flyby, Niteflite, and you wonderful readers!!

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Bloody Roar II: Atone

By Tiger5913

__

How could you manipulate me?

Make me hurt everyone I see

I smiled wickedly, raised up my fist

Crimson blood sprayed like mist.

You'd better run, you horrible freak…

A hateful sneer formed over air-chilled lips, eyes flashed with deep hatred, glistening and lashing out, while the melancholy smooth beams from the moon bathed the silent hunter. A small white building was in line of sight, seeming so harmless and insignificant amongst the neighboring facilities around the bend of the corner. Half-hidden by trees that circled the area, their twisting branches scowling wickedly at bystanders, discreetly shielding horrible atrocity away from the knowing public.

__

I was vulnerable, confused

My fighting skills you abused

You coward, whimpering chicken

My hate for you will only thicken.

It's time for you to give back what blood was spilled…

The leaves whipping across yellow skin-tight attire, the figure nonchalantly cleared a path through to the structure, ruefully glaring at it as a clenched fist secretly shook. Light brown irises, once possessing a blank, mindless look, now were filled with controlled, but very lucid rage as feet donning tabi shoes glided over the gray, concrete ground. Rough, substance-coated fingers furiously rubbed together, trying to rid of the faint redness that stained the tips, quivering in undeniable guilt.

__

Let me be alone

I need time to atone

Payback will come soon

Avid as the gleaming white moon.

Approaching the entrance, the youth's head ducked slightly, albeit fearful of the upcoming confrontation; but nevertheless, it had to be done, it was inevitable. Stepping past the doorway, short winding hallways greeted him, yet he was unaffected, for he all too well knew his way around the place. His destination was soon reached, that of the main room located in the back, lackeys posted around the section, since it was only accessible to the certain privileged. The guards glanced at him for a mere second, then nodded their approval - many knew of his high status in the group, along with very few, faithful selected others. 

__

I brought pain to the innocent

Their willful spirits I bent

But now you're mine to kill

Revenge for them I must fulfill.

He smirked at them in an intimidating manner, narrowing his eyes into thin slits, playing his obnoxious, superior role in his part as one of the elite. Respectfully, the two pulled open the door for him, gesturing the way in with their hands, glancing away as it was considered rude to look directly at a superior. But he thought it was ridiculous that the grown adults paying their regards to a mere fourteen-year-old were direly baffling, it was as if they had discarded their control in an instant. Shaking his head pitifully, he strolled in coolly, keeping his blistering emotions in check, knowing that the ruby stains on his outfits would convince _him_ that he had completed his task.

"…Pathetic followers."

__

You better run, better hide

Look around to each side

Now you have to pay your due

I'll strike when you don't have a clue.

A person was standing at the lab tables across the section, busy with his usual testing subjects, and the teenager cringed upon hearing the familiar scream of an unwillingly soul submitting to his demands. He attempted to clear his throat, but it escaped his mouth in the form of a hiss instead, and the noise caught the attention of the other bystander. Half-turning, beady emotionless eyes flickered upon his form, a devious smile playing about the lips of the well-preserved estranged expression.

"Ah, so you're back." Came the haughty greeting, "Well, how did things go?"

__

Let me be alone

I need time to atone

Payback will come soon

Avid as the gleaming white moon.

Fury clouded his vision as he spat, "I'll tell you how they went! I'm not your slave anymore!"

Oh how it felt triumphant to see the look of surprise, with a sliver of fear, ignite in his pupils. "What? The brainwashing… It wore off? You little ingrate!"

"I'm here to put an end to your evil plans!" he snarled nastily, parting his lips a little to bare his gritted teeth.

Suddenly wiping away the alarmed apprehension, his foe grinned impishly. " Hmf! You should have just kept your mouth shut. You dare oppose me? Well, then, you can start by fighting this guy!"

__

Beady black eyes, so evil

You like making everyone feel feeble

They try their best to hide their fear

But it's especially hard when you're near.

****

A tall shadow flowed over his shoulder, stretching across the cold marble floor, and he rolled his eyes expectantly, knowing full well who it was. _Sending Shenlong to fight me. What a lazy, spineless coward._ He whirled around, raising his fists in a battle-ready pose; his crimson red scarf swirled about his neck, fluttering and predicting a fight of soon-to-be shed blood.

"Hmm, Xin-Yi kung fu versus the Kato school of ninja…" the observer cackled maliciously. "Which will prevail? It's the fight of the century!"

__

Everyone, relax - don't worry

I'll go after him in a hurry

This is for my allies, my friends

I must stop your atrocious trends.

Quickly darting foreword, the youth grabbed his opponent's hands, diving down in between his legs, swinging up and over his back, forcefully kicking him to the ground face-first. As he was rising into a standing position, the young fighter agilely bent to knee level and tripped him from behind, delivering a crisp upper punch to knock him in the chin. His deadly red irises glaring angrily, the one earlier referred to as Shenlong struck the other combatant with a combo-starting move; he barely blocked the first couple blows aimed for his face. Hitting him lower, around his chest and stomach, the teenager was pushed backwards, slamming into the hard edge of the table, and the scientist hastily scampered out of the way.

_This little obstacle won't steer me away from my goal… _theadolescent thought determinedly, straightening his posture while his hand enclosed around a cool object near his side. _I'll get you in the end no matter what, you heartless manipulator!_

Let me be alone

I need time to atone

Payback will come soon

Avid as the gleaming white moon.

Grabbing it tightly, he launched off from the wall, throwing the contents inside the beaker at the eyes of his opposition, then tossed it to the ground and listened to the delicate glass shatter. The man clutched at his face with his hands, bellowing out in pain, unable to notice when the fourteen-year-old lifted his leg to meet his throat. Soon afterwards, he executed a powerful roundhouse kick that sent the older fighter flying through the air, landing onto another table and breaking the structure, his head smashing against the hard wood, knocking him unconscious.

_Too easy. _The stony expression transformed into an arrogant smirk. _Now, let's see how well you fare, Busuzima…_

I'm tracking you down

Rip off your imagery crown

You can sense your nearing death

The last, final, quivering breath.

Eerie, emotionless evil glee filled the young male's eyes as he turned to glance at the remaining spectator. His lips twisted into a chilling smile while he slowly stepped foreword, unclenching one fist by his side to hold out two fingers, allowing visible red heat to leisurely ignite from the tips.

"W-wait!" came the nervous, stammering plea. "Let's talk things over! OK? OK? You can trust me! Please!"

Maintaining his icy posture, he murmured threateningly, "Now to end this for good… For you, and for everyone that I have brought sadness to!"

__

Justice will be served

Everything that you deserved

Joyous cries are heard, a triumphant shout

But I just want to leave, get out.

Trying not to let his intimidating words affect him, he laughed shrilly, crouching down into his fighting position; "So you really wanna fight me, eh, Bakuryu?"

He had struck a nerve. "Kenji!" The youth screeched at him loudly, all of a sudden whipping his fingers up to send a trail of thin fire to scorch the foe. "My name's Kenji!!"

Hearing a high-pitched scream of pain when the flames hit their target, he immediately followed his attack up with a series of furious punches, then swiftly flipping backwards and kicking his opponent in the jaw. Springing up, Kenji Ohgami stuck out his elbow and dove at the estranged scientist, digging into his throat, inwardly laughing at his choked gasp as he forcefully drove him into the wall behind.

__

Let me be alone

I need time to atone

Payback will come soon

Avid as the gleaming white moon.

He jammed his other hand against the antagonist's jugular and as the rage grew within the teenager, the tips of sharp claws began elongating from his fingers. Finally, it was time for _him_ to pay, time for _him_ to suffer, to know how it felt to be on the brink of death, fear clutching him as he gave his last breath. He gasped out a choked wheeze when the claws began to penetrate into his skin, babbling pleading words as he relentlessly begged for his life.

It was his moment. The fourteen-year-old knew that it belonged to him and him alone. He could bring justice to so many of the deceased caused by this one person, blood for blood, a life for a life - though a single entity couldn't compensate for so many that were lost. Sneering, he felt the animal blood inside him start to boil, the fighting instinct rise up, and the urge to kill ignite deeply in his veins…

__

Your techniques won't work anymore

Your pleading gets to be a bore

Like before, my claws extend

But this time, it's for the sake of your end.

…Kill…?

Kenji jolted back in reflex as the realization hit him. He would have to end the malicious man's existence; he would have to kill someone… again. Add another sin to his already-heaping pile. If he went so far, could he ever turn around and leap up from his abyss to redeem himself? Thoughts of other boys his age scurried through his mind: how all they had to worry about was the way school gave too much homework out, whether or not they had a date at the end of the week, and if that girl in their homeroom class wanted to go out. Then on the other hand, he himself fretted over if his victim suspected his attack the least bit, how he was going to be punished if he failed his assignment, and his superiority that brought dismay quivering to the other members of the group.

__

NOOO-!

Why don't I feel happy, pleased?

I took care of a detested sleaze

The guilt inside me hotly burns

My stomach twists and churns.

With that silence cry, he withdrew his hand, and instead made a fist, striking the older man atop his skull, watching him slide down the wall, and slump to the floor, unconscious.

Looking down at his shivering arm, the ninja closed his eyes painfully and rasped, "Good." _I managed to stop myself from killing… …for **once**. _"I'll destroy everything." _There can't be any evidence of this to the human public, or they'll turn on the zoanthropes for sure…_ "Busuzima, this lab…" he hung down his head, "…and me. Then Bakuryu the bloody assassin will be no more." To his surprise, a fugitive tear slipped out and trickled along his cheekbone. "Goodbye, Yugo…" he thought of his ever-supporting brother, a little disoriented and absentminded sometimes, but he did the best that he could in raising a child since the mere age of seventeen. "Thanks to you, I can die as a human…"

__

Let me be alone

I need time to atone

Payback will come soon

Avid as the gleaming white moon.

Keeping his clenched fists at his sides, he strolled around the room, grabbing beakers of easily flammable fluid off of the lab tables, and dumping them on the floor. He drenched all wooden objects with them, all the while allowing tears of remorse stain his cheeks, the natural fear of death gnaw at his inner self. Along with the psychopath that started all the anguish, distress for humans and zoanthropes alike, he was going to die as well. It felt so unfair on a certain level… he was only fourteen, never had a chance to do anything relatively teenage-like, be in a large crowd of friends, go on a date, kissing his first girlfriend…

"So, do you think you've settled this?"

__

After a split second, he remembered and recognized the voice - an ally of his brother's that he just knew would attempt to stop him from accomplishing his task. "…Gado."

__

Now that I finished my task

It's time to discard the hard mask

Things can finally go back to normal

Yet I feel chilled, strangely horrible. 

*****

"Hey… yoo-hoo… um, Kenji, you still with me?"

With a start, he blinked his eyes open, discovering that he was sitting in a comfy sofa couch, in a room that even though had dimmed lights, radiated with the warmth and security of a loving home. He wasn't back in the chameleon zoanthrope's laboratory, where the only emotions allowed were cold, unmerciful attitudes that closed off any form of comfort. Staring foreword, he saw movie credits with a black background rolling down a television screen, and he flushed sheepishly. Turning his head to look at the speaker, he gazed into the delightful chocolate-colored eyes of a teenage girl his age, her long auburn bangs shaping her slender, doe-like face.

She grinned. "Hi! Awake now? Gee, if you'd told me that action flicks put you to sleep, I could have borrowed a different kind of movie."

__

Please don't help me, brother

I respect you like any other

But this I have to do solo

Inside, I just feel so hollow.

"What? Oh, no, it's not that," Kenji quickly assured her. "I was just thinking, and kinda… dozed off, I guess."

At present time, it had been almost a year post the terrorism incident - he was now fifteen - a few months since his life had begun to get back on track, and most importantly… the start of his first romantic relationship with a classmate that he never thought he would get close to. After all, what could one of the most popular girls at his school want with him, the seemingly social outcast even if he did have very well blemished looks? Apparently, she could; she glanced past his stereotypes and searched for his true inner core, eventually reaching into his abyss and grabbing him by the hand, pulling him out into the world of the living.

His girlfriend giggled, "Gotta stop those midnight snack outings, ya know."

__

Let me be alone

A small smile quirked at the corners of his mouth. "No, I just need to start drinking coffee to stay awake, is all. …Hey, what time is it?"

"A little past nine," she told him. "But it's not a school night, so you can still stay a while longer. Wanna watch another movie?"

"Sure," he nodded, "I promise I won't fall asleep this time."

"Ah, no need to worry about that…" the young female's eyes twinkled mischievously. "If you do, I'll just dump water on ya!"

"Oh, you'd better not-!" He grinned, quickly moving to tightly encircle her slender form, trapping her arms at her sides.

__

I need time to atone

"Hey!" She protested, struggling. "Not fair! I didn't expect this!"

"Say uncle."

"No way!"

A chuckle escaped from him. "Say it."

"Nu uh!"

He smirked at her knowingly. "I'm not letting go until you do."

__

Payback will come soon

Gazing at him adoringly, she said shyly, "Well, what if I don't want you to let go?"

"Uh, well…" his cheeks flushed. "Th-then you'd better get comfortable…"

"No problem," her face glowered with happiness as she snuggled more firmly into his embrace.

Thinking back to what he had been pondering about, Kenji silently thanked Alan Gado for stopping from committing suicide before it had been too late. If the man hadn't gotten there in time, then he never would have been able to continue living his life, and go through the changes that made his previous sufferings worth it. Glancing at his girlfriend lovingly, he leaned down and softly whispered something into her sensitive feline ears before gently shifting to cover her lips.

"You're my inspiration for living…"

__

Avid as the gleaming white moon…

****

The End

Author's Note: Waah! Just when I thought I almost completely lost my writing spirit and stamina for BR stories, I was hit with a sudden song inspiration for Kenji last night, so I wrote this story as a correspondence! So anyhow, this fic is in my own story timeline, and takes place in Kenji's BRII story also, near the end when he regains his memory after beating the crap outta Yugo. *snickersnicker* And they said that Yugo is supposed to be protecting Kenji, right… that's believable… *breathes a sigh of relief* I've still got it! I'm also surprised that I can still write angsty stories what with the fluffy fics I've been posting up lately. ^.^ Hope this was to my potential! Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

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With love for my fans,  
**Tiger5913**


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